Search engine optimisation or SEO for short is a popular Online marketing process where by a website is optimised to be both search engine and user friendly.  SEO focuses on increasing the natural listings of a website, it builds a site over time, reinforcing its credibility and strength of a site within the search engines. Consequently Pay Per Click or PPC for short is also a form of Internet marketing. A PPC campaign focuses on increasing the sponsored search engine rankings of a website. Sponsored search engine results are displayed at the top and right hand side of the search engines, these sponsored results can be identified as having a pastel coloured background. Each time a websites PPC advert is clicked upon through the search engines, that site has to pay the search engine a set amount per click. Where Search engine optimisation focuses on improving the natural search engine results, by optimising a site to be fully user friendly, relevant and navigational. PPC is a bidding process, where websites bid against each other in order to get their Ad’s to the top of the sponsored rankings. The site with the highest bid will most likely win the top ranking within the search engines.

Although SEO and PPC are two separate Internet marketing methods, each with their own merits. Both Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click can work in unison together. For instance SEO is a long term process, nurturing a site, generating relevant links, writing several articles and ensuring a site is regularly indexed by the search engines takes time. Alternatively PPC in comparison produces instant results! It is wise in some cases to launch a PPC campaign at the same time focus on SEO. Over time Google analytics will display an increase in the natural search engine results traffic flowing to your site. This is when search engine optimisation is beginning to show positive results, it is at this point we would review your PPC campaign, looking to reduce the budget. There would be no need to spend large amounts in pay per click when your site is ranking highly under the natural search engine listings, produced by effective SEO.

Consequently SEO and PPC can work effectively in unison together, in order to achieve a constant level of traffic while your site is becoming optimised. Once your site experiences 100% natural search engine traffic, the PPC campaign can be paused.  Although you must be aware that PPC can be expensive, especially if you operate within a competitive industry. For instance within the Insurance industry, the cost per click will be high as apposed to the fabric industry, where a websites cost per click will be considerably lower.